Coleus plant named ‘UF12-35-9’

ABSTRACT

‘UF12-35-9’ is a new coleus plant distinguished by having consistent bronze-orange leaves with a purple midvein, novel growth habit, and desirable late-flowering characteristics, as disclosed.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Plectranthusscutellarioides.

Cultivar denomination: ‘UF12-35-9’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of coleus plantnamed ‘UF12-35-9’. ‘UF12-35-9’ originated from an open pollinationconducted in May-November 2011 in Gainesville, Fla. between the femalecoleus plant ‘UF11-11-1’ (unpatented) and an unknown male coleus plant.A single seedling was chosen in May 2012 for further asexual propagationin Gainesville, Fla. (see FIG. 1 for pedigree).

‘UF12-35-9’ has been reproduced asexually for over one year throughvegetative cuttings and has been found to retain its distinctivecharacteristics through successive asexual propagations.

‘UF12-35-9’ has not been made publicly available more than one yearprior to the filing date of this application.

When ‘UF12-35-9’ is compared to the female parent ‘UF11-1-1’(unpatented), ‘UF12-35-9’ has bright bronze-orange leaves with distinctpurple midveins and yellow stems, while ‘UF11-1-1’ had leaves coloreddark orange-red with gold banding around the edges. ‘UF11-1-1’ waseliminated from the breeding program in 2012 and is no longer inexistence.

When ‘UF12-35-9’ is compared to the commercial cultivar Keystone Kopper™‘UF09-08-87’ (commercial, unpatented), both plants have a strikingorange foliage color but ‘UF12-35-9’ has a lighter orange tone, whichmakes its purple midveins more contrasting than Keystone Kopper™‘UF09-08-87’. ‘UF12-35-9’ also has a more vigorous upright growth habitwith more lateral branching and larger leaves than Keystone Kopper™‘UF09-08-87’.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following are the most outstanding and distinguishingcharacteristics of ‘UF12-35-9’ when grown under normal horticulturalpractices in Gainesville, Fla. ‘UF12-35-9’ has a combination of novelvigorous upright growth habit, late season flowering, excellent heattolerance, and consistent, deep bronze-orange leaves with distinctpurple midveins and light green stems that are significantly differentthan other coleus plants. It has superior color stability in foliage inboth sun and shade conditions, maintaining stable color in allconditions. It has a vigorous upright spreading growth habit withexcellent lateral branching when grown as a stock plant, thus providingample vegetative propagules for producers. This plant has not beenobserved to set a significant number of flowers in any trial to date,thus it is desirable for long-season performance in the landscape, ascoleus plants that set seed usually experience late season leaf drop.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This new coleus plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographs,which show the plant's form and foliage. The colors shown are as true ascan be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures. Thephotographs were taken from 3-month-old plants grown from cuttings in1-gallon pots during December 2012-March 2013 in greenhouses inGainesville, Fla.

FIG. 1—shows the pedigree of the claimed plant.

FIG. 2—shows the growth habit, form, and foliage of the claimed plant.

FIG. 3—shows a close-up of the foliage.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description sets forth the distinctivecharacteristics of ‘UF12-35-9’. The detailed description was obtainedusing 3-month-old plants from cuttings growing in a glass greenhouse inGainesville, Fla. in early spring 2013. The plants were pinched 2 weeksafter cuttings were rooted, then grown in 1-gallon pots forapproximately 10 weeks. Color references are to The R.H.S. Colour Chartof The Royal Horticultural Society of London (R.H.S.), 2007 5th Edition.

-   Classification:    -   -   Family.—Lamiaceae.        -   Botanical.—Plectranthus scutellarioides.        -   Common name.—Coleus.        -   Cultivar name.—‘UF12-35-9’.-   Plant description:    -   -   Form.—Spreading.        -   Habit.—Upright.        -   Height (from top of soil).—37 cm.        -   Width (horizontal plant diameter).—62 cm.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type cuttings.—Vegetative meristems having at least 1 node.        -   Time to initiate roots.—3-4 days.        -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—7-10 days.        -   Root habit.—Fibrous.        -   Root description.—Callus forms in 2 to 3 days, roots            initiate in 3-4 days and become a highly branched cutting in            7-10 days.-   Branches:    -   -   Quantity per plant.—6 main branches per plant with numerous            side branches, pinched once.        -   Branch color.—RHS 145B.        -   Texture.—Smooth.        -   Pubescence.—Not present.        -   Stem description.—Square-shaped stem, 1.5 cm in diameter at            the soil line.        -   Branch diameter.—0.7 cm at the base of a 29-cm long branch.        -   Branch length.—29 cm.        -   Internode length.—3-5 cm.        -   Anthocyanin.—N/A.-   Leaves:    -   -   Quantity of leaves per branch.—15 to 17. Arrangement:            Opposite.        -   Fragrance.—Not fragrant.        -   Shape.—Deltoid, consistent.        -   Length.—12-14 cm.        -   Width.—10-12 cm.        -   Apex.—Narrowly acuminate.        -   Base.—Attenuate.        -   Margin.—Sinuate        -   Leaf texture (both surfaces).—Slightly pubescent upper            surface; smooth lower surface.        -   Pubescence color (both surfaces).—Non-descript with naked            eye.        -   Venation color.—Upper surface: RHS N79A. Lower surface: RHS            156B.        -   Venation pattern.—Upper surface: Reticulate. Lower surface:            Reticulate.        -   Color.—Immature leaf: Upper surface: RHS 171A. Lower            surface: RHS 59B.        -   Color.—Mature leaf: Upper surface: RHS N170A. Lower surface:            59A.        -   Petiole length.—3-6 cm.        -   Petiole diameter.—0.2-0.3 cm.        -   Petiole color.—RHS 145C.-   Flowers and seeds: Flowers and seeds have not been observed to date.-   Fruit/seed set: No fruit/seed observed.-   Disease and insect resistance: Disease and insect resistance is    typical of the species, thus no claims are made of any superior    disease or insect resistance with this cultivar. The most common    insect pests observed on this plant in Gainesville, Fla. have been    long-tailed or citrus mealybugs (Pseudococcus sp.), which occur on    older stock plant material held in the greenhouse for over 3-4    months. Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (Bunyaviridae) has also been    observed in plants confined in greenhouses with mixed crops    (peppers) infected with Western flower thrips (Frankliniella    occidentalis). The most common pathogen of this species in the US is    downy mildew (Pernonspora lamii). This pathogen has been observed in    stock materials grown closely together in cooler growing seasons.

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct Plectranthus scutellarioidesplant called ‘UF12-35-9’ as described and illustrated herein.